FM Chapter 2

Everything was fresh and new inside the school. I was like Granny Liu when she entered the Grand View Garden [1], looking at this, and touching that. I hated that I couldn’t take a picture of everything I saw. Fang Yuke probably felt like I was losing him face, so he said, “Why don’t you sit here? I’ll call one of my senior classmates, and let him pick us up. On such a hot day, you don’t seem very afraid of getting tan.”

I pretended to be shocked, “Wow, Fang Yuke, you can say four continuous sentences to me. That’s not easy for you.”

Fang Yuke glared at me, as he lowered his head and did not speak.

We didn’t have to sit under the shade for a long time when someone patted Fang Yuke and asked, “Why did you arrive early?”

I lifted my head. I couldn’t see his face from under the sun’s glare. After a while I shook my head and stood up, “Hello senior brother! [2]”

Fang Yuke pushed his shoulder and softly said, “What nonsense.” With this push, senior brother finally stood under the tree’s shade and I could see his face clearly. He had small eyes, a pointed nose, a small dimple, a pointed chin. Sunlight fell through the tree leaves and shone on the senior brother’s face.

I immediately followed with, “My eyes brim with tears. We are fellow neighbors who have only met each other now. It’s not a senior brother that has a relationship to me directly, but rather, a relative to my direct descendant!”

Senior brother laughed warmly, and turned his head to say to me, “You really know how to talk. Just call me Xiao Xi.”

Fang Yuke pursed his lip, “You just came out of town and your eyes are already brimming with tears after meeting an old neighbor?”

I pretended I didn’t hear him, and laughed with senior brother, “Xiao Xi, I’m called Zhou Linlin. I’ll be studying German, what are you studying?”

Senior brother laughed, and his dimples got deeper, “I am one grade level older than both of you.”

I promptly followed, “Well economics is good, economics is good. The great economic development of our motherland will completely rest on your shoulders. How is it like the other things we study to better serve other capitalist nations? I initially also wanted to study economics, but I didn’t test well this time, only missing by that many points, so I switched to this major.”

Fang Yuke turned his head to me and glanced at me, his expression obviously asking ‘You’re alright, right?’.

I automatically filtered out his surprised face, and continued to form friendly ties with Xiao Xi, “Xiao Xi, in the future, you must help me more with my math problems, math is my weakness.”

Fang Yuke who was nearby couldn’t help it, and laughed as he watched me as if I was a joke.

Since the strict rules didn’t allow us to get the keys for the dormitory because registration day hadn’t arrived yet, we could only find nearby hotels to stay at. Xiao Xi brought our suitcases to his dormitory building and began to contact nearby hotels for vacancies. I didn’t think that so many people would come to school early, but all the big and small hotels nearby were full. Only one large bedroom in a guesthouse located inside the school was available. I looked plaintively at Xiao Xi.

Xiao Xi said, conflicted, “If only Yuke had called me earlier, I could have booked the rooms in advance. Now it’s a little too late. You guys can live there for two days, and make do. I can vouch for Fang Yuke’s character. You–”

I immediately cut Xiao Xi off, “What about Fang Yuke stays with you, and I’ll stay in the guesthouse?”

Xiao Xi thought about it. “We normally don’t return home for summer break, so there are a lot of guys and girls living in the dormitory together. The dorm manager doesn’t care. The beds are a little smaller than the ones in the guesthouse. But, it is indeed inconvenient for a girl like you. Then how about this, Yuke, you come with me and share a bed with me.”

Fang Yuke said, “I have no complaints.”

I looked at the meter wide bed in Xiao Xi’s dorm room and immediately felt embarrassed. In the great summer heat, there was no air conditioning in the dorms. Making two big guys squeeze together in here was indeed not okay. Plus, they had known each other earlier and I had been tagging along from the beginning. I fussily let the others make do, while I got better circumstances. Besides, lying on three beds in the guestroom was a little bit of a waste……

I plucked up my courage, “Then what about this, Xiao Xi, all three of us can live in the guesthouse. Anyways, there’s the air conditioning part.”

Fang Yuke gave a crooked expression and softly said, “You count soo well, how can you not be good at math?”

Fang Yuke cupped one fist inside of the other (as a sign of respect, especially in ancient times), and passionately hit Xiao Xi’s shoulder.

Xiao Xi gave the final word, “All right, then we’ll arrange it like this.”

Just before arriving, Xiao Xi received a phone call, and went to help a classmate fiddle with his computer. Fang Yuke and I just entered the guestroom and hadn’t sat down before my mom called me. I walked towards the bathroom while answering her call.

“Linlin, are you used to where you’re staying?”

I said, “It’s all right. They can’t give the dormitory keys to us before registration, so we can only stay at a guesthouse.”

My mom said, “Oh, Fang Yuke is still taking care of you. Are you staying in the next room by him?”

I paused for a breath, “Mom, he is sleeping in my guesthouse, and we are even in the same room.” After the scream from the other side of the phone, I quietly hung up the phone.

A short while later, my mom sent me a text: Linlin, even though I really like that rascal, in fact, we really haven’t thoroughly investigated him. You must think through many things. Impulse is the devil.

I helplessly replied, Mom, I promise that in the future I will stay intact in the next few years.

A long time passed before the old woman replied, Actually, young people having passion isn’t a bad thing. Go for it!

I ran into the bedroom, loudly screaming. After the time span between me and my mom’s identical screams, I let it drop.

Fang Yuke indifferently scolded me with, “Idiot.”

I grabbed a pillow and hit him on the head, “What are you cursing about?”

Fang Yuke whistled as he stood up, “I won’t theorize with idiots.” After he said this, he walked out.

I was so angry that I forcefully kicked the bed legs in return for longer cries of agony.

I lay on the bed, extremely annoyed. I thought of my mom’s crazy words, and then thought about Xiao Xi. I didn’t know if it was because I had gotten tired in the daytime, but I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it had already become dark outside. I rubbed my face and got out of bed dazedly, leaning on the door frame as I took another short nap. I hadn’t even gotten comfortable yet, when the door was suddenly pushed open with a lot of force. The edge of the door just happened to hit my nose, and I instantly felt two streams of heat flow out.

So it was like this that after getting off the bed, I was put back onto it.

Initially, I had a belly full of anger that was about to explode at Fang Yuke, but given that Xiao Xi was there, I suppressed my anger and pretended to be a virtuous lady by saying, “In the future, I won’t dare stand near the door. It’s too dangerous.”

Fang Yuke repeated, “Idiot, I’ve never seen anyone who was so dumb that he or she leaned on the door frame.”

Fang Yuke pursed his lips and didn’t speak. He turned and went to the bathroom to wash his towel.

Xiao Xi brought some tampons over from the dorm manager’s stash, and said to me, “It’s not too convenient for me, you shove it in yourself.”

I felt that I was already not very good looking, and that I would have even less of a figure with the tampons in my nose. I covered my nose with one hand, my other hand busily putting the tampons in, saying, “No need, no need, my blood platelets are great. They’ll automatically staunch the bleeding. You don’t have to be so troublesome.”

I hadn’t even finished speaking when Fang Yuke, who held a wet towel and came in and muttered, “Going through hell for the sake of keeping up appearances.” Then he threw the towel towards my face, “Apply it yourself. After a while it’ll be better.”

Originally, Xiao Xi and Fang Yuke had come over to ask me to go eat with them. I didn’t think that after this had happened, they could only nurse me, the injured patient. The room was extremely quiet, there was only the sound of Xiao Xi and Fang Yuke flipping through magazines. I looked at the ceiling, bored, and prepared to switch on the TV so as to pass the time, when my stomach suddenly rumbled. I regretted things immediately after it rumbled. If I had only switched on the TV ten minutes earlier, then it wouldn’t be so awkward. Sigh, there went my image in Xiao Xi’s heart.

Xiao Xi laughed, “What about I go to the cafeteria to bring the meal over? Let’s eat in here. I originally wanted to treat you guys out to eat but I didn’t know Linlin was so unlucky.”

I liked it a lot when he called me Linlin. I quickly said, “No problem, no problem. You can go with Fang Yuke, don’t worry about me at all. I can put up with anything.” When I finished, my stomach contradicted me strongly and called out again. I was a little embarrassed.

I turned my face away and stuck out my tongue. Today I had thrown away my face all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

When the food came back, my nose was all better. Fang Yuke grabbed a napkin and began wiping the table. I softly muttered, “Mysophobe.” Usually, I would just put the food on the table directly, not even washing my hands. After grabbing my chopsticks, I would get right to eating- how was there so much to consider? He glanced at me, not speaking and continued to take out all of the boxed lunches out of the plastic bag.

There were two vegetable dishes, two meat dishes, one bowl of soup, and three bowls of rice. I glared at the red braised pork for a long time, swallowing my saliva, before directing my chopsticks towards the cauliflower. Alas, there were too many rules to being a virtuous lady. One couldn’t even eat a piece of meat. My heart burst with resentment, so much so that I was unable to keep my eyes off of the red braised pork.

After a while, Xiao Xi said, “Linlin, how come you ate up all the vegetables? Eat some meat. You bled so much today, so you should still make up for that.”

I immediately waved my hands, “No no no, I will just eat vegetables. I am a vegetarian.”

Fang Yuke who had been drinking soup choked, coughing desperately. His whole face went red. He gasped and said, “Yep she’s a vegetarian. When she was on the train she bought a bag of chicken feet and gave them all away to others.”

I glared at him, lest he say the wrong thing. That was right, on the train, I did read Soulmate for the whole night, and I also ate chicken feet for the whole night, but what did it matter to him? He just had an extra mouth. Wasn’t he silent for the whole train ride? Why did he suddenly start gabbling? I rolled my eyes, “The chicken feet were bought by my mother. She suspected that I don’t usually like to eat meat, and wouldn’t grow, so she shoved a big bag in. My mom is just a little bad at that part, always thinking that I’m too skinny. I hate that I can’t gain 8-10 kilograms in just an instant. There’s no way to do so, so I can only bring her well wishes along.” I kept apologizing to my mom silently while looking threateningly at Fang Yuke.

Fang Yuke looked at me forthrightly, and said to Xiao Xi, “Her mom is probably more optimistic. Linlin’s already like this, and she still thinks she’s too skinny.”

When it was nighttime and time to sleep, I was placed on the innermost bed. As for the middle bed, no one said who was going to sleep there, and I was embarrassed to ask. I waited for Xiao Xi to go bath, and then I pulled Fang Yuke’s sleeve, throwing in the classic movie line of, “Fang Yuke, from the moment I’ve known you to now, have I ever asked you for any favors before?”

Fang Yuke looked at me, “You’ve only known me for two days. Usually how many things do you ask for?”

I was speechless, and could only bring out my killer move, “I won’t care, you’re being such a jerk.”

“What do you want?”

“It’s very simple, you just need to sleep at the other end of all the three beds.”

Fang Yuke looked at the bed, then he looked at me, “Do you have anything against me?”

I immediately shook my head, “What can I have against you? It’s just that I was thinking that we’ve already been face to face for so long on the train, so I’m worried that familiarity will breed fondness. I have very specialized feelings so I won’t be good with just anyone.”

Fang Yuke laughed, “Idiot.”

Since I had slept so long in the afternoon, at night when the nights went out, I didn’t feel like sleeping at all. Xiao Xi slept in the bed beside me. When the moonlight shone, his face was even more softened. Night time was really good, I could observe a person without any hindrances. Fang Yuke that rascal could still be considered gullible. He fulfilled my wish and lay on the other end. When I thought of the present situation, I laughed.

It just happened that Yao Zi sent me a short text, asking me how my new circumstances were. I was excited, secretly put on my slippers and went out to the balcony to call her: “Yao Zi, do you believe love at first sight? What is it like to like someone?”

Yao Zi had already become excited on the other end, “It can’t be! How did you fall in love even before school began? Who is it that had you falling in love at first sight?”

I coyly said, “I also think it’s too fast. I haven’t even prepared for it yet, but I didn’t think that the meat pie would hit my head again. Say, how much kindness and generosity do you think my ancestors accumulated over the years?”

Yao Zi heartily laughed, “Linlin, what kind of a man moved your heart. Usually, you’re casual about guys. How did you fall in the river of love so quickly? It really is a day for raining brides and marriage. The marriage is coming, and it can’t be stopped no matter what.”

I laughed mischievously, “He isn’t very handsome, but he’s the very gentle type. You know? Like when he laughs, it’s very warm, that type. Hahahaha. When he laughs he also has dimples. When he talks, his voice is a little husky, but it’s the magnetic husky type. I’ll show you.” Then, I started imitating his voice.

On the other end, Yao Zi already couldn’t help herself. “OMG just start being horny all right? Pursue him well and bring him back for the New Year.”

I immediately accepted the command., “Yes madam, I will definitely not let down the opposite party’s trust. I am determined to win.” After I finished talking, full of silly happiness, I hung up the phone. I secretly slipped back into the room. When I closed the door, Fang Yuke turned around. In the darkness his eyes were particularly bright from the moonlight. I was startled and softly scolded, “You can kill someone from fright, all right?”

Fang Yuke scoffed, and didn’t speak. After some time,the word “Idiot” popped out from Fang Yuke’s side. F**k! Talking in your sleep also includes cursing?!

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[1] Granny Liu when she entered the Grand View Garden: Granny Liu is a character from “???” or “Dream of the Red Chamber”; the scene Lin Lin is referring to, is the scene where Granny Liu goes to visit the rich mansion, each time (most likely) gasping in wonder at all the splendor around her.
[2] Senior brother: Term for older classmates that you know very well.